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Every Legal Way to Watch NBA Basketball for Free in 2024

Can the Celtics repeat? Will the Lakers earn rings for LeBron and Bronny? Will Jokic power the Nuggets to another title? A new NBA season is here and it is possible to watch the games for free! Follow along and we’ll show you all the best ways to catch the games without paying a dime.

Watch NBA Basketball with a Free Trial of a Multi-Channel TV Streaming Service

Nationally televised basketball games may appear on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, NBA TV, and TNT. Your best choice for those channels is DIRECTV STREAM, which also carries most regional sports networks. You can watch for free with a 5-day FREE trial.

Here’s a look at the other multichannel providers with national games. If you need a regional sports network for your favorite team, DIRECTV STREAM and Fubo are your best choices, though Hulu Live TV and YouTube TV can help in a few cases.

Feature DIRECTV STREAM Hulu Live TV Sling TV Fubo YouTube TV
Free Trial 5 Days 3 Days No 7 Days Yes
Base Price $86.99 $82.99 $40 $94.99 $72.99
Base Channels 220 105 49 197 121
Max Channels 283 142 143 226 171
Local Channels Yes Yes In select markets Yes Yes
Sports Channels Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Regional Sports Networks 37 7 0 35 6
DVR Unlimited Unlimited 50 Hours (upgradable) Unlimited Unlimited
On-Demand Services No Hulu, Disney+, ESPN+ No No No
Free channels No No Yes Yes No

Watch Out-of-Market Games with a Free Trial of NBA League Pass

For basketball fans, NBA League Pass is a must-have. This streaming service allows you to watch your team whenever they’re not at home or on national TV. Follow just one team or the entire league! You can also catch up with condensed recaps of past games, see data overlays, and exclusive streams based on betting, strategy, and stats.

If you choose League Pass Premium, you’ll get commercial-free games (watch the in-arena entertainment instead of ads). You can also watch on up to three devices at once and watch your games offline. Give it a try free for 7 days!

Individual NBA Team Streamers with Free Trials

Many NBA teams offer a direct streaming option with a free trial. You do have to live near the team to watch the games with this method, however.

NBA Team Standalone Streamer Price Free?
Atlanta Hawks FanDuel Sports Network $19.99 7 days
Boston Celtics None
Brooklyn Nets Gotham Sports App $24.99 No
Charlotte Hornets FanDuel Sports Network $19.99 7 days
Chicago Bulls None
Cleveland Cavaliers FanDuel Sports Network $19.99 7 days
Dallas Mavericks MavsTV $14.99 No
Denver Nuggets Altitude+ $19.95 No
Detroit Pistons FanDuel Sports Network $19.99 7 days
Golden State Warriors None
Houston Rockets None
Indiana Pacers FanDuel Sports Network $19.99 7 days
Los Angeles Clippers FanDuel Sports Network or ClipperVision $19.99 7 days
Los Angeles Lakers Spectrum SportsNet+ $19.99 No
Memphis Grizzlies FanDuel Sports Network $19.99 7 days
Miami Heat FanDuel Sports Network $19.99 7 days
Milwaukee Bucks FanDuel Sports Network $19.99 7 days
Minnesota Timberwolves FanDuel Sports Network $19.99 7 days
New Orleans Pelicans Pelicans+ $14.99 No
New York Knicks Gotham Sports App $29.99 No
Oklahoma City Thunder FanDuel Sports Network $19.99 7 days
Orlando Magic FanDuel Sports Network $19.99 7 days
Philadelphia 76ers None
Phoenix Suns Suns Live $14.99 No
Portland Trail Blazers BlazerVision $120/year No
Sacramento Kings None
San Antonio Spurs FanDuel Sports Network $19.99 7 days
Toronto Raptors None
Utah Jazz Jazz+ $19.99 No
Washington Wizards Monumental+ $19.99 No

NBA Teams with Free Games Over-The-Air

Some teams allow fans to watch for free with an antenna.

NBA Team Antenna Option
Chicago Bulls Chicago Sports Network
Dallas Mavericks KFAA and TEGNA stations
Denver Nuggets Altitude Sports on 9News (only 20 games)
New Orleans Pelicans Gray Media Stations
Phoenix Suns Arizona’s Family Sports
Portland Trail Blazers Rip City TV Network
Utah Jazz KJZZ

Need an antenna? Consider these excellent models:

Channel Master Flatenna Ultra-Thin Indoor TV Antenna

Up to 35 Mile Range

Winegard FlatWave Amped Digital HD Indoor Amplified TV Antenna

Up to 60 Mile Range

You can also pair the antenna with something like a HDHomerun box so you can watch games on any Wi-Fi enabled device in your home.

Channel Comparison Chart

DTV STREAM DTV Internet Fubo Hulu Sling TV YouTube
Free Trial Get $100 Back Free Trial Free 3-Day Trial Get 50% OFF Sign Up
$86.99 $69.99 $94.99 $82.99 $40 $40 $72.99
Altitude + $28 + $15 - - - -
Arizona’s Family Sports - - - - - -
SportsNet Pittsburgh + $28 + $15 - - - -
Chicago Sports Network + $28 - + $0 - - - -
ESPN -
ESPN2 + $0 -
FanDuel Sports Network Detroit + $28 - - - - -
FanDuel Sports Network Florida + $28 - - - - -
FanDuel Sports Network Great Lakes + $28 - - - - -
FanDuel Sports Network Indiana + $28 - - - - -
FanDuel Sports Network Kansas City + $28 - - - - -
FanDuel Sports Network Midwest + $28 - - - - -
FanDuel Sports Network North + $28 - - - - -
FanDuel Sports Network Ohio + $28 - - - - -
FanDuel Sports Network Oklahoma + $28 - - - - -
FanDuel Sports Network SoCal + $28 - - - - -
FanDuel Sports Network South + $28 - - - - -
FanDuel Sports Network Southeast + $28 - - - - -
FanDuel Sports Network Southwest + $28 - - - - -
FanDuel Sports Network Sun + $28 - - - - -
FanDuel Sports Network West + $28 - - - - -
FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin + $28 - - - - -
Marquee Sports Network + $28 + $15 - - - -
MASN + $28 + $15 - - - -
MASN2 + $28 - - - - - -
Monumental Sports Network + $28 + $15 - - -
MSG + $28 + $15 - - - -
MSG Sportsnet + $28 + $15 - - - -
NBA TV + $15 + $15 + $8 - + $11 + $11
NBC Sports Bay Area + $28 + $15 - -
NBC Sports Boston + $28 + $15 - -
NBC Sports California + $28 + $15 - -
NBC Sports Philadelphia - - - -
NBC Sports Philadelphia+ - - - -
NESN + $28 + $15 - - - -
Rockies.TV Channel + $28 - - - - -
Root Sports Northwest + $28 + $15 - - - -
Space City Home Network + $28 + $15 - - - -
Spectrum SportsNet + $28 + $15 - - - - -
Spectrum SportsNet LA + $28 + $15 - - - - -
SportsNet NY + $28 - - - - -
TNT + $0 -
Utah 16 (KUPX) - + $0 - - - -
YES Network + $28 + $15 - - - -

Ben Bowman was the Content Director of The Streamable. He cut the cord in 2009. He roots for all Detroit sports and is a fan of Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Edgar Wright, Paul Thomas Anderson, Billy Wilder, Buster Keaton, and the Coen Brothers. Ben streams on an Apple TV.

DIRECTV STREAM Cash Back

Let us know your e-mail address to send your $50 Amazon Gift Card when you sign up for DIRECTV STREAM.

You will receive it ~2 weeks after you complete your first month of service.

Sling TV Cash Back

Let us know your e-mail address to send your $25 Uber Eats Gift Card when you sign up for Sling TV.

You will receive it ~2 weeks after you complete your first month of service.

Hulu Live TV Cash Back

Let us know your e-mail address to send your $35 Amazon Gift Card when you sign up for Hulu Live TV.

You will receive it ~2 weeks after you complete your first month of service.